Monday, July 19, 2010

comics for the week of 07/14/10.

OK. So I've been on vacation and thus not blogging, but if we're being honest, we'll admit that I was slacking even before I left. But even if this space only constitutes reprints of my Alibi articles and these comic reviews, at least I'll be writing two things a week, bare minimum. With that in mind, these will be the comics I picked up from this week, as well as last, skipping over three weeks ago (when, for what it's worth, I got Powers 4 - good, Green Lantern 55 - better than expected, and Flash 3 - great) and just trying to move on from there. Without further ado.

Batgirl 12 - The conclusion of Flood. Batgirl's been around for a year now, and it's hard to say that it's a truly great book. But it's fun, and I love the relationship between Barbara and Stephanie. I like the setting up of Calculator as a rouge for the duo, but this issue seems to have put an end to that? I don't really like the shoe-horning in of Wendy, previously of the Wonder Twins, but I'll take it. I love the art. I like the cops, the department, and the ways in which Jim interacts between all those worlds. This issue was a nice conclusion to the Batgirl Rising story, and I'm hopeful of bigger and better things at this point.

Batman 701 - "The Missing Chapter" of RIP. And yes, I said that I was dropping Batman. And yes, Morrison is tricking me into reading something again. But I'll tell you what: This issue was good. I liked seeing Alfred welcome Bruce back to the mansion as though it was just another day. I liked the counting backwards, down toward the Final Crisis 'death'. And I like the fact that this part of the story is being filled in, because back during RIP and Final Crisis, this was a huge question that people had.

Batman and Robin 13 - Continuing the reveal of Oberon Sexton. And yes, I said I was dropping Batman and Robin. And yes, Morrison is still tricking me into sticking around. What can I say? He's good at that. I'm not honestly sure what's going on with the Thomas Wayne subplot here in this book, but it can't possibly be real, otherwise we'd hear mention of it in the other Bat books, as well as across the rest of the DC universe...right? So where does that leave us? The Joker has come back, he says, to try to help out one last time, since he's realized this isn't "his Batman." But then, when Damien is in the room with him, the Joker says, "You sound like...like him!" which I think is a promising direction to take the relationship. Plus, all this is only secondary to the first six pages, set three days ahead of the main story in the book, where we see Dr. Hurt shoot Dick Grayson in the head! This book is good, it's got me hooked again, after a bizarre mid-section to it's first year. Strong starts and Morrison kind of go hand-in-hand, but I'm (as usual) worried about the ending.

Booster Gold 34 - Continuing the story of Max Lord. And yes, I said I was dropping Booster. We can see how well my willpower is working out. However, after this issue, I'm pretty sure that I've got to drop Booster. It's nowhere near the book it used to be and this devolving approach isn't working for what used to be one of the most fun books out. The thing is, Giffen and DeMatteis write fun books. They always do, they always have. And they have a great take on Booster. Or...at least, they did in the past. For now, their screwball take just feels wrong on this book. It had so many layers working for it, and Booster actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. Now, he's just off gallivanting in the past with Ted. Sorry, it's got to go.

Daredevil 508 - Shadowland...Part 2? So, I obviously missed some pretty huge things in Shadowland 1 because, well...I had no idea that Matt killed Bullseye. I mean, I knew Shadowland was going to be huge, and I knew I wanted to get it, I guess I just...missed it? What a bummer! I'll go back and get it, but I've already read it at a friend's house, and it was good! DD continues the great storyline and, honestly, at the end of this story, I think Matt might have to die. Of course, there are other options, and no, I don't want the Marvel Universe to be sans Daredevil, but damn! he's just too far gone at this point. The fact that Luke Cage and Danny Rand were there and saw it in person is really going to damn Matt in the future. This book has been getting better and better for literally years at this point and I'm both excited and worried that this might be the biggest crescendo we've seen yet.

Red Hood: The Lost Days 2 (of 6) - Jason Todd finds out that Batman didn't kill the Joker in revenge. And he's a little pissed off about it. Jason, of course, immediately goes off to Gotham, grabs a bunch of tech, and plants a bomb on the Batmobile in a way that only he could. However, when he sees Bruce returning, he realizes that he doesn't just want to kill him; he wants Bruce to know that it was him, he wants Bruce to see him as he dies. Talia's relationship with her father and with Jason is fleshed out a little more in this issue, definitely a good thing. All in all, a good, solid issue of an interesting mini-series.

Spectacular Spider-Girl 3 (of 4) - The battle between Punisher and Spider-Girl continues, takes a turn when Wild Card shows up, and April goes headfirst off the deep end. This book is so much fun it consistently makes me regret that I didn't read Spider-Girl when it was a regular series (sorry y'all). Even the Punisher isn't bugging me like he normally does. The Gang War is heating up and May is trying to do her best to prevent it from happening. She fights the Punisher, April, and Wild Card in this issue, and there's even room that another fight with Black Tarantula might have happened. Ultimately, we see an interesting reveal about Wild Card (making me want to track back his appearances) and we see April getting ready to make the most serious mistake she'll have an opportunity to. Great issue, can't wait for the conclusion.

The Unwritten 15 - The best book on the market right now? It's damn good and it keeps getting better. In this issue, we see the return of Wilson Taylor, we have a confrontation with Count Ambrosio and we get another literary quest, showcasing this book's strength. That's not even getting into the subplot with Lizze Hexam, which speaks volumes about things we should learn in the future about Savoy. This book is great in its layers, great in regards to both the writing and the art, and great with its pacing as well! I've loved the issues that have diverted from the main plot, they've never felt too intrusive. Every time we get a normal issue, though, we get so much detailed and discovered, though, that's probably to be expected. If you're not reading the Unwritten, you're missing out.